Comparing Champions: GRC Lites

With one race left to go in the 2017 Red Bull Global Rallycross, Olsbergs MSE X Forces driver Cyril Raymond already has the GRC Lites title locked up after a dominant season. Despite a first-lap incident in the most recent final at Evergreen Speedway, one that forced him to restart without a hood or front bumper, the French up-and-comer persevered for his ninth podium of the season and an insurmountable 108-point lead going into next month’s season finale in Los Angeles.

But how does his (still in progress) championship season compare to the four drivers who earned the Lites title before him? Here’s a side-by-side look at all five championship-winning stat sheets:

Year /

Driver /

Races /

Wins /

Podiums /

Heat Wins /

Poles /

2013

Joni Wiman

6

6

6

8

2

2014

Mitchell deJong

9

7

9

15

6

2015

Oliver Eriksson

12

3

9

12

4

2016

Cabot Bigham

11

2

5

5

0

2017

Cyril Raymond

11

6

9

24

6

*season still in progress

When it comes to pure dominance, the first two champions—Joni Wiman and Mitchell deJong, both of whom would later go on to drive Supercars for OMSE—have set some fairly high standards. But Raymond has challenged or topped them all: although he’s had more heats to work with than those two did, his 24 heat and semifinal victories in 2017 are more than their two title-winning seasons combined.

The chart also shows that Raymond still has a few things to race for in Los Angeles, namely, deJong’s single-season podium (nine) and pole (six) records. Another win, meanwhile, would tie the American driver for most wins in a season and in the class all-time.

But how does Raymond’s competition stack up to what the previous drivers faced? The results might surprise you:

Drivers Who Earned At Least One:

Year /

Points Margin /

Win /

Podium /

Heat Win /

Pole /

2013^

35

1

8

6

3

2014

158

2

10

7

3

2015

28

5

8

7

4

2016

6

6

11

8

4

2017*

108

3

7

10

4

*season still in progress // ^awarded 20 points to winner instead of 50

While fewer drivers have earned wins this season, owing in part to Christian Brooks and Conner Martell taking all five races that Raymond hasn’t, a record 10 drivers have taken heat wins and four racers on three different teams have earned poles. Meanwhile, three drivers who have yet to take a podium this year have finished fourth at least once, proving just how tight the difference is between going home with hardware and leaving the track empty handed.